ABSTRACT
The 1990s have been the decade of the corporations in Indian football. Philips and Coca-Cola, both large multinational companies, sponsored the National League. Major Indian firms such as Zee TV and the United Breweries Group (UB) made important investments either in specific clubs or in sponsoring Indian leagues or competitions. Zee TV actually took over Churchill Brothers of Goa in 2000–01, while the UB group sponsored Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, Mohammedan Sporting and the Federation Cup. In doing this they had immediate impacts, as certain sectors of the game became professional, a national league was organized for the first time and Indian clubs began to look to the global football market for players.
